Limited hiring expected in 2nd quarter: Manpower

For the Greensboro-High Point MSA, 28 percent of employers indicated they plan to add staff in the second quarter, while 2 percent plan to cut jobs.

ManpowerGroup said the net hiring outlook of the engineering/construction sector and the retail/wholesale sector stood at 26 percent, ahead of the transportation/warehousing/communications sector's 21 percent and the leisure/food/hospitality sector's 17 percent.

The report suggests that with the current rapid advances in technology, more job openings are being made available by companies that are capable of balancing technology, human talent, and social connectivity.

Mr Fischer also said that despite softening in key sectors the outlook overall is strong and continues to be positive for hopes of wage increases in the coming quarters. Workforce gains were expected across all four regions in India.

Erica Melarangeli of Manpower's Stoney Creek office says the outlook for Hamilton shows an increase of 12 percentage points when compared with the outlook reported during the same time previous year, indicating an optimistic hiring pace for the upcoming months.

Modest hiring plans are reported in the mining and construction sector with an outlook of +7%, and in the transportation and utilities sector, where the outlook is +6%.

The strong national result is unchanged when compared to the same period previous year, but declines by three percentage points quarter-on-quarter. However, Gauteng employers report an improvement of six percentage points, while outlooks for Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal remain relatively stable. The most noteworthy increase of 15 percentage points is reported in the manufacturing sector. However, outlooks weaken in four sectors, including the electricity, gas and water sector with a decline of 12 percentage points, and the wholesale and retail trade sector, where employers report a decrease of six percentage points.

Teo noted that this is the third consecutive quarter where the public administration and education sector is reporting a strong hiring outlook, explaining: "The growing skills-job mismatch has prompted more people and companies to sign up for courses to enhance their skillsets, especially their digital capabilities".

Globally, among the countries and territories featuring seasonally adjusted data, confidence is strongest in Taiwan, Japan, Hungary and the United States, while the weakest hiring prospects are reported in Italy, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, the survey said.

The latest data paints a picture of significant differences in hiring expectations across the country, both on a sector-by-sector basis and when compared regionally.

The advisory firm said large enterprises with a workforce of 250 employees or more have a higher hiring outlook than their medium and small-sized counterparts, with the net employment outlook at 29 percent. Some upward momentum is detected in the year-over-year comparison with forecasts improving in 25 of 43 countries and territories, declining in 13, and remaining unchanged in five.